Eye on 2024 polls, J P Nadda to go on 120-day nationwide tour from December

Nadda will begin his travel from the first week of December and Uttarakhand will be the first state on his itinerary

In what could be the longest yatra in the history of the party, BJP president J P Nadda will begin a 120-day nationwide tour from December 5 to pep up the cadres ahead of assembly elections in four states—West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam in 2021. He will also prepare the party for 2024 Lok Sabha polls by focussing on the seats it lost in 2019 general elections.

Briefing reporters on the programme, BJP general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Arun Singh said Nadda will also review the parties’ preparedness in the four poll-bound states of West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam. “States going to elections next year will hold special attention during this programme,” the statement said.

Singh said the key objective of the nationwide programme is to strengthen the organisational structure, development of team spirit, strengthen booth-level operations, work on building a positive image for BJP state governments, streamlining party activities, public awareness through public programmes, strategy on 2024 election, work on creating a more cohesive and inclusive structure, dialogue and ideological approach of the party review activities.

While there are still 3.5 years to go before the next general elections, just six months are left for the Assembly polls in the four states. Nadda’s Yatra is expected to create buzz for the party in these states.

Virtual meetings and virtual community events will be organised throughout the Yatras along with press conferences in major cities. Nadda will stay for a minimum of two days in small states and for three days in large states. In Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls in 2022 and has 80 Lok Sabha seats, Nadda will be staying for more than a week.

Nadda will begin the tour from the religious-tourist hill state Uttarakhand on December 5, a day before the anniversary of the demolition of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid structure in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has in many election rallies boasted about the Modi government facilitating the construction of Ram Mandir.

During the Yatra, while interacting with ground workers, Nadda will also explore new allies for the party. Alliance and strategy will be two key components of Nadda’s Yatra. In BJP-ruled states, Nadda is expected to work on improving the coordination between the government and the organisation.